


lo and behold

by spearmiintt



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Original Male Character - Freeform, PastelxPunk, Pining, Punk, Punk Dream, Slow Burn, Some angst, Songfic, Temporarily Unrequited Love, but for like one chapter, cheerleader george, like a little bit, mcyt - Freeform, pastel, slow burn????, yeah slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:22:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28550082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spearmiintt/pseuds/spearmiintt
Summary: Dream's just a teenage dirtbag.very obviously based on 'teenage dirtbag' by wheatus.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 47
Kudos: 255





	1. gym class in half an hour

**Author's Note:**

> okay, you've caught me. i'm a huge sucker for the pastel x punk cliche, and it hasn't really been introduced to this fandom yet. but i've seen people drawing dark! or alt!dream, and skirt!george, so i thought 'why not?'. for those of you who don't know what pastel x punk is, it's basically the trope of someone who dresses alternatively/in a punk style getting together with someone who dresses in pastel colors/outfits. i combined this cliche with the song 'teenage dirtbag' by wheatus, which is such a good song. they are both 18 in this fic (seniors in high school)! consider this both a songfic and a pastel x punk fic. okay, that's all. enjoy! -j.

It was so humid outside on the first day of school. Dream, once again, forgot exactly how warm it would be in his all-black attire, but it was worth it. He did, however, feel like his smudged eyeliner was melting off of his eyelids as he walked through the hallways of his high school. First hour had been shit, as it always was; it was way too early in the morning, and History was a drag regardless of who was- “Oof!” he groaned, the wind knocked out of his chest for a quick second.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry,” an unfamiliar, accented voice rang through his ears.

Dream looked down at the lump currently squished into his chest.

Tufts of brown hair, chocolate eyes, a light pink long-sleeved shirt, and white jeans glanced back up at him. “S-sorry again,” the shorter boy stammered, backing away and gripping his books tighter.

“You’re good,” Dream raised a pierced eyebrow. “What’s, uh, what’s up?” he tried, mentally slapping himself as he realized how stupid he sounded.

“Oh, I- um, I’m looking for a class I have to go to,” the pastel-clad high schooler responded quietly. “I’m George, I’m new here.”   


“Cool,” Dream said smoothly, chewing at his snakebite piercings. “I’m Clay, but everyone calls me Dream. Which class are you trying to get to?” he asked gently, knowing exactly how it felt to be the new kid as he sidled up next to George and peeked over his shoulder at the wrinkled schedule clutched in the brown-haired student’s hands. He noticed the other boy trembling slightly. “Hey, man, it’s okay, let me help you,” he said softly.

“Sorry, I’m just- I’m a little nervous,” George explained quietly. “I’m trying to get to precalculus, though, with Smith.”

“Oh, that’s easy to get to, don’t worry,” Dream shrugged. “C’mon, I’ll walk you there,” he offered, pulling at his worn denim jacket as he began walking down one of the swarmed hallways.

“You don’t, um, have to-” George began, but stopped talking as he felt himself get pulled along by the taller boy.

“Nah, it’s completely fine. My class isn’t even that far from yours,” Dream reassured, holding onto one of the light pink sleeves on the shorter boy’s shirt.

“Okay,” George stuttered, slightly breathless as they walked quickly.

An unfamiliar student, a flame on his t-shirt and white bandana thrown tightly across his forehead, waved at Dream. “Hey, man. New kid?” he smiled slightly at George. 

George smiled back and nodded for a split second before the dirty blond next to him let out an exclamation.

“Sapnap!” Dream cried, momentarily letting go of the pink sleeve to hug the other boy. “How was your summer abroad?”   


“Oh, you know, here and there. Italy’s fucking great, though. It would’ve been cool if you’d gone with me,” the beige-haired high schooler shrugged, a smirk ghosting his features. “How was your summer at home?”   


“Dude,” Dream laughed. “I missed you so much!” 

Suddenly, a bell rang.    


“Oh shit,” Dream’s smile fell off of his face. “I gotta get him to Smith,” he pointed a thumb over his shoulder at George.

“See you at lunch, then,” Sapnap nodded, pulling lazily at his bandana and walking off.

“C’mon, George,” Dream grinned, walking off again.

Thirty seconds later, the punk and the pastel stood in front of Mrs. Smith’s classroom. 

“Here you are,” Dream winked. “If you need help from me again, I’ll always be around,” he smirked smoothly, causing George to flush a similar color to his long-sleeved shirt.

“Okay,” George smiled shyly. “Thank you, Dream.”   


“Anytime, George.”   


\------

Dream could see his best friend’s wave from across the cafeteria. He grinned as he slid down next to Sapnap, feeling almost euphoric upon reunion with his childhood best friend. “How’s your day been going?” he asked, pushing his tongue piercing between his teeth.

“Pretty great, actually,” Sapnap responded, looking around. “Have you seen Bad or Quackity? They’re usually here by now.”

“I’m right here, Sapnap,” Badboyhalo grinned, sitting down next to Dream. “What do your schedules look like?”   


Dream pulled his schedule from his pocket, unfolding it quickly and giving it to Bad, who took Sapnap’s as well.

“Look, you guys, we all have sixth period gym together!” the cheerful high schooler triumphantly exclaimed. “Also, I think Quackity is still on vacation.”

“Oh, really? Nice,” Sapnap chuckled, taking a bite out of his lunch. “Sucks about Quackity, though. I was hoping we’d all get to see each other.”

“Yeah,” Dream agreed, pulling a can of Monster from his backpack and cracking it open.

“Is that all you’re having?” Bad asked indignantly, opening his Thermos as he looked at Dream.

“Dude, I always have a Monster for lunch,” the dirty blonde teenager laughed. 

Bad pulled a bag of chips from his backpack. “This year I’m making sure you have more than just a soda for lunch,” he declared.

“I mean- thanks, I guess?” Dream took the chips. But before he could open them, Bad looked across the cafeteria.

“Whoa, who’s the new kid with Poki and Valkyrae? He’s dressed so cute!” the chestnut-haired student exclaimed.

Dream inhaled. “That’s George,” he said, thrown off by an unfamiliar feeling in his stomach as he looked over to the pastel-clad teenager’s lunch table. “I met him this morning, he’s new here.”   


Sapnap looked at Dream and grinned. “Dude, you’re bright red,” he guffawed.

Bad looked over and nodded. “Yeah, you’re really red, Dream. Are you okay?” he asked concernedly.

The bandana-wearing high-schooler laughed even harder. “Dream’s got a thing for the new kid,” he ribbed.

“Shut the fuck up,” the punk chuckled in an embarrassed tone, throwing a hand over his face. 

The other two seniors teased him a little more before dropping the topic, finishing their lunch and bidding each other farewell before heading to their fifth hour classes.

Dream made it to his fifth hour class a few minutes early, slipping into a seat towards the back of the classroom and taking a notebook from his backpack. He anticipated the class being slow already; when was physics ever fun?

Fifty minutes later, the bell finally rang, signaling the beginning of the passing period. The dirty blond left the classroom; to his surprise, George was standing in front of the classroom next to his, looking around confusedly. “George,” Dream called.

The shorter student turned around, a look of intense reassurance washing over his face as he locked eyes with the familiar face. “Oh, hi Dream,” he greeted. “Do you know where the gym is?”   


“No way, we have sixth period together? Hell yeah,” Dream grinned. “C’mon, it’s across the school from here.”

Almost the entire passing period was over by the time the pair got to the gymnasium.

“Get changed, folks, we’ll be out on the track today,” the gym teacher commanded.

“Over here, George,” Dream pointed to the locker rooms. “Did you bring a change of clothes?” he asked.

“Yeah, I did,” George pointed at his backpack. “See you in a bit?”   


Dream hummed in agreement.   


Dream got changed fairly quickly, talking to Sapnap and Bad in the locker rooms before leaving with both of them.

The sunlight was momentarily harsh on the teen’s eyes as he walked towards the track, bickering with Bad over computer code. “No, Bad, that’s not how that wor-”   


Sapnap tapped Dream’s shoulder. “Look, Dream,” he murmured, glancing across the field.

Dream’s eyes moved to where his best friend’s had. 

George was excitedly talking with Pokimane on the other side of the track. He’d changed into pink shorts and baby blue Keds, complete with a pair of grass-stained white tube socks. “Well, I actually got the shorts on sale,” he explained to Pokimane, voice carrying all the way over the distance to meet Dream’s ears.

Dream’s heart jumped. “Yeah, it’s George,” he cleared his suddenly raspy throat. “What about it?”

Sapnap guffawed. Even Bad laughed a little.

Fuck, he was in for a long ride.


	2. oh, how she rocks

Dream actually had a reason to look forward to gym class now. It was nearing the end of September and George and him had formed a tentative yet nice acquaintanceship.

Quackity’s reaction to Dream’s perpetual blush around George was as expected, gleeful cackles echoing through the blond’s ears as Sapnap filled the black-haired boy in on all the details about ‘Dream’s little crush’, Bad occasionally interrupting to add a few small details, but mainly to chastise his friend for swearing while explaining.

“Oh my god, Dream,” Quackity grinned. “There’s no way you don’t like him!” 

“Shut _up,_ Quackity,” Dream groaned, burying his face into his fingerless-gloved hands.

“No, no, he does! I’m a dude, but even I can say that George dresses cute,” Sapnap agreed.

“Guys, c’mon, you’re making him uncomfortable,” Bad ribbed gently, though the small amused smile on his face gave him away almost immediately.

Dream stayed silent for a minute, flustered as he sipped at his Monster and chewed on his snakebite piercing. “Whatever,” he muttered. “I don’t even know if he’s single or not.”

“Ask him out!” Quackity immediately giggled. “Oooh, Dream’s finally going to get a boyfriend!”

“Oh my god, _Quackity_!” Dream smacked his beanie-wearing friend lightly on the shoulder, wheezing as he laughed in an embarrassed tone. “Stop!”

“Holy fuck, I’m so happy we have gym together,” Quackity laughed. “Now I can make fun of you for an entire hour!” he exclaimed gleefully, not deterred by Bad’s “language!”

Lunch couldn’t have ended sooner, Dream immediately leaving the table and speed-walking to physics as his friends chortled behind him.

Halfway through his fifth period, Quackity sent Dream a text. 

“ _From: quackhead._

_‘so? whn r u gng 2 ask grg out?’_

_To: dream.”_

Dream rolled his eyes and shot back a text, fingers moving quickly over the tiny buttons on his flip phone.

“ _From: dream._

_‘I told u, idk if he’s sngl.’_

_To: quackhead.”_ _  
_

A minute later, another text rolled in.

“ _From: quackhead._

_‘lame lol’_

_To: dream._ ” 

Dream rolled his eyes and turned the cell phone off, opting to keep it in his bag instead of letting Quackity tease him the entire class period. 

Thirty minutes later, the four boys were out in the stuffy heat, walking laps around the track. For some reason, the situation had evolved into both Quackity and Sapnap mercilessly teasing Dream, Bad not agreeing yet not disagreeing either.

Suddenly, George was right in front of Dream. “Hi,” he said with a smile on his face. “Would you want to walk with me?” he asked kindly.

Quackity almost fell over himself trying to answer for Dream. “Yes, George, he would actually love to,” he giggled, pushing the punk roughly towards the pastel.

Which caused them to collide, not unlike the way they’d crashed into each other the day they met.

“Uh-” George began, trying to detangle himself from Dream’s chest.

  
  


“Um-” Dream coughed, finally detaching himself from the pastel. “Yeah, I’d love to walk with you.”

“Okay,” George’s face broke into a small smile. 

Dream could hear his friend’s rapidly fading snickers as he walked with George.

“Hey, Dream?” George asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

“Hm?”   
  


“Do you skate?” 

“Yeah, I do, why?”  
  
George blushed, giving his sunkissed cheeks a light but not unflattering flush. “I liked to roller-skate before I moved, and I’ve been looking for a new place to go. And Poki doesn’t really know any skate parks, so I thought I’d ask you, uh,” he trailed off. “Never mind, it’s stupid.”  
  
“No, it’s not,” Dream responded, heart on fire at hearing George talk himself down. “I- I skate, it’s the Avalon Skate Park,” he told the shorter boy. “Sometimes I go with Sapnap but usually I go alone.”  
  
“Oh,” George perked up. “That’s great!”  
  
“It’s fun there, you should go some time,” Dream smiled, playing with his tongue piercing between his words.

“I might,” George smiled. Suddenly, Pokimane joined them.

“Hey George! Dream, right?” she smiled warmly.

“Yeah,” he smiled back. “What’s up?”  
  
The brunette looked at George and then back at Dream. “Are you going to come to the first football game of the season? I know we’re having the pep rally on Friday, but I was wondering if you were going to go to the game too.”  
  
“I’d like it if you went,” George told him. “I got on the cheer team! You’ll be able to see me cheer, too!” the shorter boy exclaimed excitedly.

Dream was in the middle of thinking about how to politely decline Poki’s request when George’s words stopped him right in his tracks. “I- uh,” he stumbled for words. “Maybe,” he finally said lamely, mentally cursing himself for how stupid he sounded. “I’ll ask my friends if they want to go.”  
  


“Sounds chill,” Poki grinned. “Hopefully we’ll see you there!”

Twenty minutes later, sixth period ended. Dream and Sapnap were walking together towards the student parking lot.

“Hey,” Dream said suddenly, stopping Sapnap in his tracks as he excitedly discussed a new code. “Would you want to go to the first football game this year?”  
  
His best friend looked at him in slight confusion. “Uh, I mean, sure? Why?” he asked.

Dream sighed. “Okay, don’t tell Quackity because I just know he’ll never let it go. But Poki invited me to the game and George said he’d be cheering with the cheerleaders, and…” he trailed off, holding his face subconsciously as he realized how warm it was.

Sapnap chuckled a little. “Dude, you’re gonna fall way into the deep end if you keep chasing after George like this,” he cautioned, but there was no real hardness behind his voice. “I’ll go with you, though.”  
  
Suddenly, Valkyrae’s distant, hushed voice ghosted across their ears. “Poki, that was really brave of you to invite him, the punks are kind of scary, you know?” she murmured, clearly thinking that only her, Poki, and George could hear her.

“No,” George argued. “Dream is really nice, he helped me find my classes on the first day of school when I didn’t know you two!”  
  
Dream couldn’t contain himself as he burst out with a laugh and turned around, not missing Valkyrae’s flinch. “You know,” he wheezed, “I can hear you guys?”  
  
George rolled his eyes. “Turn around, Dream, we’re only talking about you literally behind your back,” the shorter boy said sarcastically, causing Dream to laugh even harder.


	3. in keds and tube socks

“Do it,” Sapnap egged Dream on, laughing as he pushed his skateboard towards his friend.

Dream chuckled as he skateboarded along. “No,” he said. “If I fail you’ll make fun 

of me.”  
“I guess I’ll just win the bet, then,” his shorter friend gloated.

The blonde-haired boy stilled, never one to turn down competition. “Fine, I’ll do it,” he challenged, readying his skateboard to carry out the elaborate trick Sapnap had challenged him to. But before he could, an excited greeting of “Hi, Dream!” met his ears eagerly. He turned around to see who’d noticed him and nearly choked on the sip of Monster he’d just taken.

George, in a pair of pristine white rollerskates and a light purple _skirt_ , skated effortlessly over towards him. “How are you?” he smiled, Pokimane skating a bit more clumsily behind him.

Dream silently willed himself to try and not embarrass himself completely. He kicked off of his skateboard and held the end in one hand while holding his can of Monster in the other. “Uh, I’m good,” he coughed, trying not to blush too deeply. “It’s nice seeing you here,” he nodded as casually as he could at the pair in front of him.

“Yeah, you too! I wanted to go skating as soon as you told me about this place. I like it,” George gushed, eyes sparkling in the golden sunlight. The sun had barely begun to set, but it gave the shorter boy a flatteringly tinted glow to his skin.

“I didn’t even know this place existed before George talked about it,” Pokimane chimed in amicably. “I’ve only skated around my neighborhood before, so this is a nice change.”  
Sapnap walked up to the trio. “Hey,” he nodded at them, nudging Dream discreetly towards George. 

Dream mentally slapped himself as he was forced to stand closer to the pastel. “Yeah, Sap and I go here all the time,” he said lamely, feeling his stomach flutter as the breeze blew George’s cleanly sweet scent towards him.

The four high schoolers talked for a bit more before skating together, Dream and Sapnap trying desperately to outskate George, who was surprisingly very fast on rollerskates, his skirt streaming past Dream in the wind multiple times as he beat him in every race they’d set.

Pokimane was a bit less experienced on rollerskates, but managed to beat Sapnap twice, her laugh carrying in the wind as she flew by him.

Eventually, the sun had almost completely set as Pokimane called it a night, telling the other two boys that her and George needed to get a good night’s rest for the next day’s pep rally.

“Oh, yeah,” Sapnap chuckled. “I forgot tomorrow was Friday.”  
“You’ll be at the game, right?” George asked, turning towards Dream and looking into his green eyes imploringly.

Dream’s heart skipped in his chest. This was his chance to accept George’s offer. “Yeah. Yeah, I am,” he nodded.

George suddenly clapped and pushed Dream’s shoulders lightly, excitedly saying “Yay! I can’t wait to see you there!”  
If thoughts could be the demise of someone, Dream would’ve been destroyed on the spot with the rush of affection and adrenaline he felt as he wheezed lightly with laughter. Sapnap and Pokimane rattled on in their own conversation, getting consumed in the differences between skateboarding and rollerskating, paying little attention to George and Dream.

George turned to Dream again, softening his voice as he tapped him lightly on the shoulder. “Can I ask you something?”  
Dream looked down at him. “What’s up?” 

The shorter teen blushed. “Do you think I could maybe have your number? I want to skate with you again,” he stammered.

Dream’s stomach felt like it was doing flips. “Uh, sure,” he chuckled as calmly as he could, pulling out his flip phone and handing it to George.

The brunette quickly entered in the blonde’s contact information, handing the phone shyly back to him after a few minutes. “Thank you,” he murmured. “I hope we skate again soon.”

Dream had never been more okay with being in over his head for someone.

\------

Missing class was already a great concept, and it was made even better by the fact that Dream was missing class and getting to see George as a cheerleader.

“Mrs. Burns, Mr. Jones, Mr. Skyler, and Ms. Ellis’s class, please head down to the football field now,” the scratchy intercom beeped as it was hung up.

Dream immediately left his seat, his fifth period class forgotten as he walked through the halls, finding Bad first and then Sapnap.

“I’m so glad we got to miss fifth and sixth period for this,” Sapnap grinned. “We were supposed to be taking a test right now.”  
“Did you not study?” Bad chided. 

Dream laughed. “Does he ever?”  
Sapnap punched Dream gently on the shoulder. “Have you ever studied for anything in your life?”  
The taller boy punched his friend right back. “I could say the same for you, you know.” Suddenly, his phone chimed in his pocket.

_‘From: george :)_

_“We should go skating after the pep rally today! ^v^”_ _  
_ Dream’s heart cartwheeled in his chest.

_‘To: george :)_

_“do u need a ride? also did u bring ur sk8s to school?”_ _  
_ _‘From: george :)_

_“If you could drive me that would be great, thank you so much! My skates are in my book bag :DD! Where is your skateboard?”_

Dream felt his heart lighten at how perpetually cheerful the other student sounded, both in-person and over text. _  
_ _‘To: george :)_ _  
_ _“np, meet me at the student parking lot door after the pep rally, i have mine in my bag :)”_

“Who are you texting?” Quackity swooped in over Dream’s shoulder, snatching the flip phone from his hands and reading through the messages. Somehow, the fourth friend had joined them along the way, and they were now walking towards the bleachers under the hot Florida sun.

“Oooh, Dream’s taking George to the skate park after school!” Quackity read from the screen.  
Dream, luckily, was taller than all of them, and was therefore able to quickly snatch his phone back. “Shut up,” he rolled his eyes.

Bad chimed in. “It’s okay, Dream, I didn’t see your texts,” he said wholeheartedly.

As annoying as it was to constantly have his friends ribbing him for having a soft spot for the pastel cheerleader, it was just as reassuring that Bad was still trying his best to provide comfort. “Thanks, Bad,” Dream chuckled.

Two minutes later, the four of them were nestled next to a group of excited freshman girls. The energy in the air was making everyone buzz, though there was no one on the field yet.

“Do you know what they have planned for today?” Sapnap asked.

“I think they’re doing a hula hoop game, probably something with the band, and I know the cheer team has a routine,” Bad responded, fiddling with the hems of his sweatshirt.

Quackity raised his eyebrows and smirked at Dream, but before he could get anything out of his mouth, Dream silenced it with a joking glare.

The group lapsed into comfortable conversation over homecoming, agreeing immediately amongst themselves that they’d have a sleepover and a movie night instead of going, like they’d traditionally done for the last three years in a row.

A hush fell over the crowd as two teachers, dressed in the school’s colors of blue and white, started announcing the order of events into a megaphone. The rally began with a few students being awarded for Best School Spirit; seeing who could dress the most ridiculous for an award, in Dream’s opinion, was always somewhat amusing.

Soon, the cheer team was filing onto the field in a straight line. Dream could spot Pokimane amongst the other girls. Last in line was George, walking slowly but confidently behind a blonde-haired cheerleader. He’d gotten used to his heart leaping into his throat whenever he saw the shorter boy, but it seemed as though today his heart couldn’t stop jumping as the uniform skirt George had on swayed with his narrow frame in a stutteringly perfect way.

The team of twelve walked methodically to their places in a subtly rehearsed fashion. The bubbly pop beat to Cascada’s ‘Everytime We Touch’ started as the frontmost girl yelled “one, two, three, four!” 

In a flash, the field swarmed with energy as the cheer team performed their routine, girls running all around. Somehow, Dream’s eyes never left George.

“ _And everytime we touch, I get this feeling,”_ the speakers sang.

George, surprisingly nimble, backflipped expertly into Pokimane and another team member’s hand cradle, immediately tucking his arms close to his body as they threw him into the air and caught him again.

Dream watched as George moved quickly around the field, a smile never leaving his face as the cheerleader tumbled and kicked, quickly but never missing a beat.

“Damn, he’s actually really good at this,” Sapnap commented, eyes following George as well.

“I wonder how he got so flexible! How much do you think he practices every day?” Bad thought aloud, prompting a response from Quackity.

“Probably hours, he can do the splits and then immediately do a backflip right after. That’s hardcore,” the black-haired boy shrugged.

The song ended as the team threw themselves forward into one more spectacular ending formation, the student body erupting into cheers and pleasant surprise at George’s debut.

Twenty minutes later, the pep rally ended after a slightly off-tune rendition of a pop song, done by the school marching band. Dream bade a quick farewell to his friends and rushed to get to the door he was meeting George at, carefully sidestepping the swarm of students walking in the opposite direction. Finally, he reached the exit to the school, leaning against the wall and ruffling his hair as he started to wait. Soon enough, George stepped out, wearing a flowered baby pink shirt with a pair of ripped white jeans. “Hi,” he looked up at Dream, smiling.

Dream waved, meeting his eyes as he looked down. “Hey, down there,” he chuckled. “Are you ready to go?”  
George’s smile turned into a playful pout. “You know, Dream, I could’ve said ‘hey, up there’, but I didn’t,” he teased, following Dream as they walked to the student parking lot.

Dream hummed, turning around to casually run a hand through George’s hair. “Well, I’d never pass up an opportunity to make fun of my favorite cheerleader,” he smirked, though his quickening heartbeat betrayed his cool exterior.

The brunette blushed a deep red almost immediately. “W-whatever,” he stuttered softly. A second later, his eyes widened impossibly as he looked at Dream’s shiny motorcycle. “There’s no way I’m riding that,” he balked, almost backing away.

“Aw, Georgie,” Dream laughed, pulling a black helmet from the handlebars of his bike. “I’ll let you wear my helmet.”  
George hesitated. “You won’t let me fall off, will you?” he asked shyly.

Dream wheezed. “Of course not, silly. Just hold on tight and you’ll be fine,” his playful tone melted into a reassuring one as he reached out a gentle hand and wrapped it around the pastel’s waist, pulling him close and clipping the helmet on quickly under George’s chin.

George exhaled harshly, turning red again as he looked away. “Thanks,” he breathed.

Dream laughed again. “Any time, pretty.”  
The brown-eyed boy’s hands flew up to his face as he sputtered in surprise. “Stop that!” he squeaked. 

“Stop what? Complimenting you? I don’t think I’ll stop doing that,” Dream smiled, secretly glad that his flirting was working.

“Whatever,” George huffed, though his face was still pink. “How do I ride this?”  
Dream threw one leg over his seat, settling casually into the driver’s position. “Hands around my waist, babe. Don’t let go, now,” he winked, pulling a pair of sunglasses from his backpack and putting them on as the sun glared in his eyes.

George made another incomprehensible noise, but quickly nestled himself carefully into the space behind the taller boy, slowly reaching up and wrapping his arms around Dream’s slim figure. “Like this?” he asked softly.

“Just like that,” Dream reached a hand down and settled it briefly over the other boy’s clasped hands. “Ready?” He felt the nod against his back as he revved the bike’s engine twice.

And just like that, the pair sped off towards the skate park, George laughing in bewilderment as the wind rushed past them.

\------

Dream wore cologne for the first time in a while that Saturday night. He’d sniffed warily at the bottle his aunt had given him last Christmas, frowning a bit as the pleasant but blunt scent of sandalwood and lavender trickled through his senses. Before long, he decided he really had nothing to lose, and dabbed a few drops onto his wrists before shrugging and screwing the ornate cap back onto the glass vial.

Now, he was sandwiched between an excited Bad and a slightly more calm Sapnap. Bad had decided to go all out with the school spirit, even painting the school colors on his cheeks and wearing an on-brand jersey for the occasion. Sapnap, on the other hand, had plugged in his headphones, occasionally pulling his blue iPod Touch out of his pocket every few minutes or so to skip through a track.

“You smell different,” Bad had said as soon as Dream sat down, twitching his nose lightly as he looked at him. “A good different, but different.”  
“Thanks?” Dream laughed. “Where’s Quackity?”  
“He has a test next Monday, so he’s studying for that instead,” Sapnap pulled out an earphone to respond briefly.

Dream merely hummed in response, slightly bothered by his friend’s absence but reassured by the fact that they’d all be seeing each other tomorrow at Bad’s for movies anyway. He turned his attention over to the cheer team, who were standing on the side of the field as the football team played. Dream could spot George from a mile away; tonight, it was even easier to see him as the cheerleader had dotted silver glitter on his cheekbones, the fun makeup glinting in the harsh field lights.

The game passed by slowly, but it was made better since every time their team scored, Dream would get to see George cheer. It was nice, the hazy evening fading slowly into complete darkness, Sapnap humming along to the music playing in his ears, Bad cheering, and Dream, well, dreaming. After an hour and a half of a lackluster game, the clock hit zero. Dream stood up and stretched, laughing it off as Sapnap asked if he’d enjoyed his show that night. “Shut up,” he’d said to his best friend.

“Well, see you guys tomorrow at mine! Bring your own pillow!” Bad exclaimed excitedly before disappearing into the mass of people now leaving the bleachers. Sapnap left with Bad, leaving Dream to find George alone.

Dream waited until the stands were mostly empty before deciding to check the sidelines of the fields first. He’d been unable to find the pastel cheerleader there, but didn’t give up as he rounded the corner to look under the bleachers.

“Geor-” the greeting died in his throat as he watched the brunette smile at the football player holding his hand before kissing him slowly.

The trickling crowd, noisy conversations, and concession stand aroma fell away from Dream’s senses as he hopelessly watched, heart feeling as though its very veins had been twisted upon themselves. He knew that football player; he was famous for dumping his partners after short-lived flings. But the blonde knew he couldn’t do anything about it now as the kissing pair broke apart and giggled at each other, Dream feeling as though the pain of his wrenching heart was knocking him down and forcing him up at the same time. 

  
  
  



	4. doesn't give a damn about me

It had been rough for Dream to see George after he’d seen him kissing Michael, the football player, under the bleachers. Fall had chilled into a slightly cooler winter. It was nowhere near cold enough for gym to be held inside, though, which meant Dream still walked with George every day around the track during sixth period. 

The blond thought of swans. Swans were such beautiful creatures. They fell in love once and swore themselves to their mate, sometimes intertwining their neck with theirs in a moment of sheer emotion. He wondered how a lone swan would survive, spouse gone for a hundred unknown reasons. Would they pine like he was right now, a part of him aching to hold the brunette close, yearning to take Michael’s place? Or did swans move on, finding a new bird to house their heart with?

“When are we going skating again?”

Dream’s puddle of thoughts had whisked him away from reality, not permitting him notice to the world around him. He looked down at George, who was walking next to him, a look of slight concern on his face.

“Dream?” the shorter boy asked, fully stirring him out of his preoccupation.

“Huh? Oh, I don’t know,” Dream shrugged. “I can go Wednesdays and Fridays, I think,” he tried to appear uninterested, though the flutter in his stomach betrayed him.

George hummed, pleased. “That’s fine with me, too,” he smiled. “So tomorrow?” 

Before Dream could nod, George’s boyfriend sidled up to George and wrapped an arm around the pastel’s waist. “Hi, baby,” he grinned, nodding at Dream. “What’s up, dude?”

The taller boy tore his eyes away from the sight that threatened to tear his heart in half. “Nothing,” he managed to respond. “Just, uh, talking.”

  
“Hm,” Michael looked at Dream warily. “Wanna walk with me, babe?” he ruffled George’s hair as the brown-eyed boy looked down shyly. 

“See you tomorrow,” George waved at Dream before walking off with his boyfriend.

Was this what it felt like to ache? He’d never remembered feeling this way for anyone, not even his ex-girlfriend.

It had rained last night, which meant that the sun was gone today. The clouds cast a film over everything, making it greyer in a way that, strangely, Dream found comforting. In his tumble of emotions, it was nice to walk alone for a bit, letting the smell of fresh earth wash over him. 

The next day was sunnier, though it was still cool enough for Dream to shrug on his leather jacket before he’d left the house that day. He didn’t know how to feel about skating today; he would get to see George, but he was still struggling with the way he felt about him.

He thought about the art class he’d taken as a freshman in high school. How defeated he’d felt when his project turned out unsavory. But he thought about how he’d simply let it go, moved on, vowed to himself to make his next project better. Was that how he should’ve acted? Removed himself, moved on, loved the next person harder and better than he did George? Or had he already done it without knowing, moved on from his ex-girlfriend and then fallen faster and stronger for another person?

“I like your jacket,” George had said to him as soon as they’d found each other at the skate park.

“Oh,” Dream stumbled on his words. “Uh, thank you?”

  
George merely smiled in return, though it was a small smile. “Skate with me. I want to take my mind off of some things,” he asked, smile finally slipping off of his face as it was replaced with a frown.

“What’s on your mind?” Dream immediately asked, hopping onto his skateboard and matching pace with George, who was gliding slowly along on his white rollerblades.

“I don’t know,” George began. “It’s… a lot, and I don’t want to put all of that onto you.”

  
Dream stopped his skateboard and reached out to gently slow the shorter boy down, holding his shoulder and turning him around so that they were facing each other. “George,” he asked sincerely. “What is it?”

  
The brunette looked down and then back up into Dream’s green eyes. “Promise you won’t tell anyone?”

  
The blonde boy’s heart melted at the dejected look on George’s face. “Come sit here with me,” he guided them over to the bench at the park, handing his Monster to the other boy. “Drink some, too, it might make you feel better,” he said softly, trying to comfort George as best as he could.

“I- I wish I had someone who cared about me more as my boyfriend,” the brown-eyed boy whispered, wrapping his arms around himself after sipping at the black can the taller boy had handed him.

Immediately, Dream was pulling off his leather jacket to gently cover George’s shoulders with it. “What do you mean?” he murmured. “It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone.”  
“He just… only ever calls me when he wants to hook up with someone,” George muttered, looking down and pulling at the pleats in his skirt.

Dream’s heart pulled on his ribcage, demanding he make everything okay for George, a mix of pity and anger and love and heartbreak wrapped up in a tight, tight knot that squeezed at his chest, not unlike a heart attack. “I’m sorry, George,” he whispered, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and using the other one to tilt the pastel boy’s head up gently to face his. “Why do you let him treat you like this?” he implored softly, though there was no hardness to his voice, only wistful questioning.

“He treats me well sometimes,” George responded weakly, though the two both knew it was a lie without even having to say it.

With a jolt, Dream noticed how close they’d gotten, and cleared his throat awkwardly as he pulled the hand on George’s face away. “It’s okay,” he soothed, not knowing what else he could say as the brunette leaned his head into the blond’s chest. 

“It will be.”   


“Let me drive you home,” Dream asked gently.

“Okay.”

Dream said nothing as he pulled into George’s driveway, cutting the engine as he didn’t want to disturb his parents with the loud rev of his motorcycle.

“Dream, I-” George began, before falling silent and looking away.    


“What’s wrong?”   


“Can you hug me?” the brown-eyed boy whispered, getting off of the motorcycle and looking up at him.

Dream’s heart melted all over again. It was a feeling he was rapidly getting used to having around the other boy. “Of course,” he murmured, and reached out to wrap his arms gently around the boy who was still wearing his jacket. 

Dream didn’t ask for it back as he drove off that day.


	5. boyfriend's a dick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so there's some underage drinking and smoking weed in this chapter! if that makes you uncomfortable please keep this in mind!

George was grey on Friday. 

It was like the world when it had rained that one night, making the day that had come after more somber, quieter. The crickets were louder and the earth smelled stronger. Just like George, only this time the clouds were over his head, the crickets were nowhere to be seen, and the earth smelled just the same as it had the day before. He had no bright colors on that day, only a white sweatshirt and dark grey sweatpants, hood up and head down as he walked the track alone.

Dream didn’t ask any questions as he broke off from Sapnap and Poki, who’d become fast friends. He simply walked up next to George and settled in with the other boy’s pace, slower today than it was yesterday. “Are we still going skating today?” he asked gently, touching George’s shoulder and then pulling away as the shorter student nodded, though the quiet sniffle he’d heard didn’t go completely unnoticed. “Okay,” he said, staying by his side.

Strangely enough, there was nearly nobody at the skate park that Friday. Dream pulled his skateboard out of his backpack, but stopped when he noticed that George had gone to sit on the bench instead. “Tell me what’s on your mind,” he’d asked quietly, sitting down next to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders, pulling George into his chest slowly.

Suddenly, tears fell down the brunette’s face, hot and fast, soaking into the front of Dream’s black t-shirt. “I got dumped,” he spoke weakly. “I don’t even know what I did wrong, you know? It was like it was out of the blue, and I suppose I should’ve expected it, since he really was just using me, and-” he broke his sentence off, hiding his face in his sleeves as he cried.   


“Hey, hey, hey, George,” Dream comforted. “It’s not your fault, yeah? Michael’s a douche for using you, you know? That was fucked up of him to do to you,” he ran a gentle hand through the hair he could reach under the hood of George’s sweater. “Just explain it to me when you feel ready. You don’t have to say anything right now.”  Dream felt so, so split. It was rather disgusting, really. Who could ever feel even partially happy when their friend got dumped? Apparently, he could, which made him swear to squander the feeling as best as he could as he rubbed circles soothingly on his friend’s back, using his other hand to reach into his backpack and open the can of Monster he always had on him. “Want some?” he murmured questioningly, gently nudging George off of his chest as he handed him the can of soda.

“Thanks,” George sighed, taking a deep breath as he drank.

They sat like that for a long time, sharing Dream’s energy drink in a comfortable silence. 

It was the type of silence that settled over you like a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer. Nothing needed to be said, elaborated on. Simply having another in one’s company was enough to soothe the both of them from the emotions of their week.

Finally, Dream got up. “I need to get home today,” he said. “Ready to go?”   


George hesitated. “Actually,” he began quietly. “Can you take me to Rae’s house? She’s having, um, a party today, and she invited me.”   


“Are- are you sure?” Dream asked, a bit worried that George would try and throw himself into something to take his mind off of the end of his relationship. He’d known about the party, sure; Sapnap had invited him after Poki had invited him, but he’d declined, opting to study for his midterms instead.

“I’m sure,” George set his jaw as he looked up at Dream. “Do you know where she lives?”   


“Yeah, she’s one block away from me,” Dream overrode his judgment, letting himself accept that he couldn’t control George’s actions, and that if this was what he wanted to do to take his mind off of things, he couldn’t do much about it. He felt slightly safer in the fact that multiple friends of him and George’s would be there in case things got out of hand.

“Let’s go, then.”

The music was already loud when Dream pulled up to Valkyrae’s doorstep. “Have fun,” Dream smiled. “Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”   


George rolled his eyes, though a small grin finally broke the frown he’d been wearing on his face for what seemed like the entire day. “I won’t, I promise.”   


“If you need me, just call me, I’m like, a five minute walk away.”

“Okay.”   


And Dream drove off alone.

\------

The blond had just finished highlighting a set of notes for his Literature class when his phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was from an unknown number, scoffing and putting the flip phone aside, wondering why anyone would be calling him half past twelve. It was late anyways, and he was going to sleep soon.

But it rang again with the exact same number, not two minutes later.

Dream frowned and finally flipped his phone open to pick the call up. “Hello?”

Poki’s crackly voice rang through, clear and strong, though there was music blasting in the background. “Dream?” she asked, a note of worry in her voice.

He instantly sat up. “Poki,” he responded. “Are you at Rae’s party?”

“Yes-” her voice muffled slightly and then unmuffled a second later. “Can you come here, please? It’s George, he keeps saying he needs to see you.”   


Dream nearly fell over himself trying to put his black denim jacket on. “Yeah, yeah, uh, I’ll be there in three, just make sure he drinks water, okay?”   


He heard nothing but a small “okay” before the line went dead.

The green-eyed senior took the steps two at a time as he hurried downstairs, grabbing his keys and scribbling a note with the other hand in case his mother went to check on him in his room. He quickly shoved his feet into a pair of worn checkered Vans, running to his motorcycle and finally, finally throwing the keys into the ignition, giving up and sighing exasperatedly after it had taken too long to start up and instead just deciding to go on foot to Rae’s place. His mind never strayed from the constant chant of  _ George, George, George. _

He’d never ran so quickly through a residential zone until that night, silently thanking every god that he could remember off the top of his head that the neighborhood patrol car wasn’t doing  its rounds tonight for kids out after curfew.

Dream rapped loudly on Rae’s door three times before throwing the luckily unlocked door open himself. The sight that met his eyes overwhelmed him, the smell of pizza and booze and weed immediately throwing his senses out of order. Couples kissed ferociously on the couch, a giant speaker playing some song from Fall Out Boy’s newest album.

“Poki?” he yelled, though it was drowned out by the people screaming and dancing around him.

Dream set himself the task of just finding George, pushing gingerly through the hoards of people before moving downstairs, where the smell of weed was the strongest. The haze of smoke made him squint as he looked through the twenty or so people smoking out of a bong on bean bags and cushions. Finally, he spotted Poki and Sapnap in the corner, gently lifting a glass of water to a nearly-unconscious George’s lips.

“Sapnap,” he choked, running towards them and grabbing George easily but gently into his arms. “What happened?”   


Poki coughed, eyes slightly red. “We were watching him, but Karl showed up with the bong, and then we lost track of him. I think he’s had too many vodka Gatorades, though.”   


Sapnap looked at Dream. “I’m sorry, man, I would’ve called you but my phone was dead,” he apologized, eyes just as red as Poki’s. 

Dream pushed the more-than-annoyed feelings in his head aside, prioritizing George in a heartbeat. “It’s whatever,” he responded shortly, before turning to George and taking the glass of water from Poki’s hands. “Hey, hey, it’s okay, it’s just me,” he soothed, holding George in one arm and gently helping him drink with the other. “You guys go have fun,” he nodded at the two people in front of him. “I’ll take him back to my place in a bit.”   


Sapnap and Poki looked at each other for a minute before going back to the circle around the person with the bong.

Dream sighed and opened his phone to call his mother. It went straight through after the second ring. “Hey, mom,” he began. “Can my friend crash at ours tonight?”   


It had been easier to ignore the burn in his feet and lungs getting to the party than it was to convince his mother and then bring a wasted friend back to his house. “You’re okay,” Dream kept saying, not even sure if George was hearing him as the boy in his arms slipped in and out of consciousness. 

“Dream?” a slurred, small voice eventually asked, wavering from the lump in his arms.

“Yeah?” he asked, moving his arm to better support George’s head.

“Am I dead?”   


Dream laughed softly, secretly thankful that George could still form sentences. “No, George, you’re okay. We’re going back to my place.”

“Okay,” George closed his eyes again. “Can I sleep there?”   


Dream looked down. “Yes, you can,” he sighed wistfully. “Are you feeling okay?” 

George opened his eyes to look up at Dream. “I don’t know why I had that much,” he responded slowly. “I don’t know why I thought it would help me forget.”   


Dream opened the garage door after setting George down against the brick wall of his house. “It’ll pass,” he reassured. “Soon, it’ll be nothing but a memory that you can barely remember, and then it’ll be okay.”   


“Maybe,” George let himself be picked up by Dream again, burying his now wet face into the front of the taller boy’s shirt, not unlike how he’d done a few hours ago at the skate park. 

“We’re home,” Dream called softly, hearing a slightly disgruntled and faint response from his mother somewhere else in the house. “Come on,” he pulled his arms up, securing George again as he took the stairs slowly. “Welcome to my room,” he laughed softly, laying the brunette down gently in his bed. “I’ll be back, okay?”   


George nodded and buried his head into Dream’s pillow. “Your bed smells nice,” he murmured.

Dream smiled as he went into the bathroom attached to him and his sister’s room. Any other day, Drista would’ve been showering in the bathroom, but luckily, she was at a friend’s for a sleepover. He took a paper cup from the counter and filled it with tap water, carrying it back into his room and helping George sit up. “Have some water,” he said softly, holding the cup at the brown-eyed boy’s lips until he’d finished drinking. “Are you feeling a little better?”   


“I feel tired,” George responded in a slightly slurred voice.

Dream opened his closet and pulled out an oversized hoodie and a pair of sweatpants. “Here,” he coaxed. “Do you want to change into these?”

“Okay,” George nodded, trying but failing to sit up.

Dream rushed over to help George up. “Here,” he soothed, helping George shrug  off his shirt to pull on the sweater. He looked away as George changed into the sweatpants, helping him lay back down as soon as George said he’d finished changing.

“Where are you going to sleep?” George asked sleepily, blinking up at Dream.

“I- uh, I can sleep on the couch,” Dream shrugged. “It’s not a big deal.”   


George reached out and pulled on the sleeves of Dream’s denim jacket. “Stay with me,” he whined, rubbing at his eyes. “Don’t the rules say to never leave a drunk person alone?”   


Dream chuckled. “Okay,” he murmured, quickly pulling on another sweater and a pair of grey sweatpants. “I’ll stay with you,” he whispered.

“You look good tonight, Dream,” George muttered, voice coming out muffled as he buried his head into the pillow. “Come hold me,” he implored, arms grabbing at Dream to pull him closer.

Dream’s speeding heart rate knew that George was simply just drunk, and that he’d never do this in the right state of mind. But a little bit of indulgence, like an extra scoop of ice cream, would never hurt anyone. So, he wrapped his longer arms around the smaller body in his hands.

And suddenly, in one swift motion, George turned around and there was a warm pair of lips on Dream’s mouth.

Dream’s eyes widened and then closed as he relaxed, kissing back for a second before pulling away. “George,” he murmured. “George, you can’t let yourself do this right now.”   


“I know,” George whispered wetly, wiping furiously at his mouth and eyes as tears began to fall again. “Why did you kiss me back?”   


Dream hesitated and then sighed. “You know why.”   


“I won’t remember it tomorrow, will I?”   


The blond boy chuckled as he gently ran his sleeve over the shiny tear tracks grazing the brunette’s face. “No, maybe you won’t,” he smiled. “Sleep now, okay?”

He didn’t even have to wait for a response before he heard the soft snores.


	6. i'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby

They never really talked about that night after it had happened. It was a weird situation; Dream didn’t know if George remembered anything from that night, however badly he’d wanted to ask. 

He’d woken up with the comforting weight of George sprawled across his chest, smiling as he’d run a gentle hand through the brown tufts of hair resting over his body. “Good morning,” Dream had whispered, slowly detaching himself from the rousing person in his arms. 

The memory still brought a smile to his face as he knew that even if George couldn’t remember his drunken night, he would’ve remembered the sobered morning. 

“Hi,” George had replied, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and almost immediately cringing as the sunlight hit his face. “Oh, god, my head hurts,” he rolled over and slid his Blackberry phone open. “Oh, fuck, my mum’s called me fourteen times!”   


“Yeah,” Dream chuckled. “Stay here, it’ll be okay. I’ll get you some Tylenol and a coffee and then I’ll drive you home.”  
He greeted his mother as he walked down the stairs, not needing to explain as he opened the medicine cabinet and shook out two Tylenol into his hand. “Did you make coffee today?” he asked.

His mother smiled at him. “Yes, I did. Did you and your friend sleep well last night?”   


Dream looked at her out of the corner of his eye as he filled a mug with steaming coffee. “Pretty well,” he shrugged. “I’ll see you in a bit, I’m taking him home later.”   


She merely nodded as she sipped from her own mug, smiling behind her son’s retreating back, unbeknownst to him.

“Hello, Elmswood High!” 

The crackle of the intercom in his second period class shook him out of his pleasant reverie as he refocused his eyes on the board and listened to the announcement currently playing, recognizing Bad’s voice almost immediately, as the bespectacled student was, after all, the head of the student council.

“Valentine’s Day celebrations are starting today with our Flower-gram system!  Buy one today during your lunch period and have it delivered to your flame secretly or with a name attached this Friday during fourth period! In other news, lunch today will be…” Bad’s voice trailed off as Dream thought about what he’d just heard.

Flowers. He thought back to when him and Sapnap were just kids, chasing each other and tumbling in the grass with each other. “We should pick flowers!” Sapnap had exclaimed, running off to grab at the dandelions just beginning to fluff in between the blades of grass in Dream’s backyard. They’d each given a bundle of bright yellow dandelions to their mothers that day, making them look at each other and laugh as they ruffled Dream and Sapnap’s hair affectionately.

Would George smile like his mother had?

“Three dollars, please,” the blue-haired girl smiled up at Dream, handing him a slip of paper. “Just write down who you want to send the flower to and if you want to remain anonymous or not.”   


Dream dug into the pocket of his denim jacket and came up with three crumpled bills, scrawling down George’s full name quickly and marking the ‘Anonymous’ bubble before handing the money and paper back to the girl manning the Flowergram booth. “Thanks,” he mumbled, looking down as he quickly walked away and back to his lunch table.

Quackity immediately exploded into chatter. “Dream!” he cackled. “Did you  actually just buy George a flower?”   


Sapnap clapped Dream on the back. “He’s making moves,” his friend had exclaimed, a grin on his face as the four ate their lunches.

Bad smiled at Dream sincerely. “Dream, I really hope George likes the flower.”

“You won’t believe what happened today, Dream,” George clapped his hands excitedly as he smiled up at the other boy. “I actually got a flower today in fourth period!”   


Dream found it especially hard to conceal the smile threatening to break on his face. “Really?” he asked, trying to assume a normal level of interest. “Who, uh, who gave it to you?”   


“That’s what’s bothering me,” George replied, high spirits taken down a bit as he turned the flower over in his hands. “They told me the person who gave it to me was a secret admirer.”  
Dream merely hummed in response. “Maybe they’ll tell you who they are sometime,” he remarked lightly. 

“Whoever it is,” George smiled to himself as he gently held the cut red rose. “I hope they like peppermint mochas as much as I do.”

\------

Dream didn’t really know when it started. It had just happened, as smoothly as 

February had melted into the end of March. He found himself standing outside of Starbucks, texting George as he pulled at the sleeves of his denim jacket, trying to stay warm.   


_ “To: george :) _

_ ‘i’’ll take you to school, b rdy in 10. have a surprise 4 u!’” _

“ _ From: george :) _

‘ _ OK! :>’” _

“What would you like?” the coffee shop employee asked, smiling at him as she snapped her gum.    


“Just a Tall peppermint mocha,” he smiled back, digging in his pocket and handing her a five dollar bill.

She assured him on the short wait as she opened the cash register and handed Dream his change.

Five minutes later, he’d put the steaming coffee in the cup-holding pocket of his  backpack, using the plastic cap to keep the coffee closed as he drove towards George’s house.

“How did you know?” George had asked, one hand around Dream’s waist and the other holding the peppermint mocha as they rode through the suburbs towards Elmswood High.

“I didn’t,” Dream chuckled. “I just thought you’d like it,” he supplied as an  afterthought.

“It’s my favorite drink, actually,” the brunette’s smile could be heard in his voice. “Thanks.”

Dream hummed in response. “You’re welcome.”   


Then, it had happened again the next day. And the next. And then, Dream was  spending all of the birthday money he had on extra gas and coffee as he took himself to the Starbucks and George to school every day, the chillier March giving way to a warmer April.

But it was okay, because every morning Dream got to see George greet him with a smile, standing at the front of his house and waving excitedly, backpack swaying as the straps moved on his arms. And after the breakup, he vowed to never take George’s smile for granted again.

“My rose is still alive,” George grinned as they walked into the school together, the April sunrise shining onto his face as they opened the door to the building.    


“Really? How?” Dream asked as he motioned for George to go in first. 

“Thanks. I don’t know, honestly,” he mused. “I just put it in water for a while, and it hadn’t died yet, so I planted it in a pot of dirt. And it’s still alive, so I must’ve done something right,” George laughed lightly.

Dream felt a rush of ever-so-familiar affection. Of course George didn’t know  that it was him who’d given him the rose, but it still meant enough to the brunette to make an effort to keep it alive. 

Their bond had grown alike to a flower, Dream realized. Nurtured by the initial interest they’d somehow shown towards each other, though they were complete opposites. Watered by the skate park, the laughter they shared, the tears Dream helped George through. Repotted by the stages of increasing trust they’d went through, starting with George letting Dream take him to his class, and now they drove together to school every day, the brunette drinking the coffee the blond supplied him with every day.

It was a wonderful thing to everyone who’d seen it, and even more for the two people who’d lived it. 


	7. rings my bell

“I want you to come over instead of going skating today,” George said, pulling on the sleeve of Dream’s long-sleeved shirt. They were, as always, walking around the track. The sun was shining on George’s face, making his eyes seem more luminous than usual as the rays danced in his irises.

“Uh, okay,” Dream agreed tentatively. “Why?”   


“Well, I want you to meet my cat, and my mum wants to meet you. Says she thinks you make me happier,” George looked down, blushing as he fiddled with the hems of his frayed white jeans.

Dream smirked, cool exterior not betraying his fluttering insides. “Do I make you happier?” he asked, tilting George’s head up so that they were making eye contact.

George flushed even harder. “Well,” he giggled. “You buy me my favorite drink every day and you take me to school, so..”   


Dream let out a wheezy chuckle. “Shut up,” he laughed, though there was no real hardness to his voice. “I’ll come over, George.”

Twenty minutes later, Dream was pulling the keys out of his bike’s ignition, smoothing his denim jacket down and quickly running a hand through his hair. “Your parents know that I’m coming, right?”   


George laughed a little. “No, Dream, they don’t. I’ve just invited a total stranger into my house.”   


Dream leaned over and ruffled the other boy’s brown locks affectionately. “A stranger that you love,” he quipped back.

George buried his hands into his face. “Stop,” he spluttered.

“Hello,” George’s mother greeted Dream warmly, both hands coming up to hold  his in a comforting handshake. “George has told me so much about you!”   


“Mum,” a flustered George mumbled.

“Oh, you,” she reprimanded him lovingly. “Thank you for being George’s friend, he was so scared he’d be alone this year!” she let go of his hand as she looked up at Dream, eyes crinkling as she smiled.

“Okay, thank you, Mum, Dream and I will be in my room if you need us,” George  spoke hurriedly, rushing Dream upstairs and shutting the door as soon as the pair were both in his room.

Pastel pink walls and a soft-looking, white-sheet clad bed looked back at Dream. A desk with flowered vines painted onto the legs sat in one corner and a crammed bookshelf in the other.

George sat down on the bed and patted the space next to him. “This is my room,”  he shrugged, though the bounce of his knee gave his nerves away.

“I like it in here,” Dream reassured, sitting down next to George and gently placing a hand on the brunette’s knee. “It’s calm.”   


“Thank you,” George said in a near-whisper. “I-it’s only fair, you let me see your room, you know?” his voice returned to a normal pitch, and Dream could see George swallow as a silence fell over them. The sounds of the birds chirping and the cars honking outside embraced them as the pair maintained their tentative eye contact.

His hand hadn’t left George’s knee. “Do you remember that night?” Dream asked quietly, sincerely, breaking the ambience as his hand briefly squeezed the brown-eyed boy’s knee before he removed his hand completely, instead placing it onto his shoulder gently.

George swallowed again and a light pink flush dusted his face. “Not a lot,” he began. “But I remember kissing you.”

Dream would never know who’d leaned in first as he felt a vaguely familiar pair of  lips meet with his. He opened his mouth slowly and deepened the kiss, backing away to lightly nip at George’s bottom lip. 

George hummed, a small noise of contented pleasure as he snaked his arms around Dream’s neck, hands lightly pulling at the locks of hair that he could reach.

The moment was so, so ephemeral. Perfect, a frame frozen in time, something that Dream would wish he could’ve cut out and worn in a locket.

And then it was over. Dream’s face was wet. George was weeping when he pulled away. Dream’s face was wet with George’s tears. “Hey, hey,” he coaxed, pulling George into his arms. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”   


George breathed in shakily. “I-I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Dream’s heart twisted. “It’s okay, don’t apologize, you did nothing wrong. We  don’t have to kiss if you don’t want to.” 

“I just- I can’t have another relationship, not yet,” George wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his pink sweater. “I’m not ready.”   


It hurt to see his boy so broken. Dream wanted so badly to kiss the pain away, hold him close as the scars on George’s heart dissolved. But he couldn’t do anything about it if George wasn’t ready. “That’s okay,” Dream reassured. “I’ll always be your friend, no matter what, I promise,” he rubbed soothing circles on George’s back.

And Dream kept his promises when he made them. He drove a little faster to  George’s house every morning, ordered another shot of peppermint in his mocha even though it made the drink more expensive, little things that he knew George would never notice, but things that made him smile, nevertheless.

“This tastes really good today,” he’d said the first time Dream had ordered his mocha differently, sipping from the steaming cup as the blond walked with him to his first period class.

“Really?” Dream raised an eyebrow, closing his locker as he turned around and was met with the sight of a smiling George.

“Yeah, they must’ve changed something about it,” he’d mused as he walked in front of Dream, the pair weaving their way through the crowded hallways of the high school.

Dream allowed himself an amused chuckle behind George’s back that day.

And it was never weird, or awkward, even if it tore at Dream’s heart just a little bit more every day, the yearning in the pit of his stomach for George’s hands on his skin and his hands on George’s skin growing with every extra shot of peppermint Dream asked for, the ache for George to love him just as much as Dream loved him nourished by every extra dollar Dream spent on gas driving to George’s house. 

\------

The school had started to prepare for prom seemingly overnight, April disappearing into a humid and sunny May. Bad was slowly but surely disappearing from every event the group planned together, constantly overworked by trying to organize everything in time with the rest of the student council.

“Guys,” he huffed as he sat down for lunch ten minutes late, as was becoming the quick norm nowadays for him. “We’re not selling nearly enough tickets for the amount of time I’ve been spending on this darn evening.”   


Dream, Quackity, and Sapnap looked at each other, having all already bought tickets, save for Dream. He’d been on the line about going, wanting badly to ask George but knowing it wasn’t right of him.

“So, Dream…” Sapnap nudged. “Are you gonna buy a ticket?”   


Dream sighed. “I don’t know, maybe.”   


Quackity began to speak, a teasing glint in his eyes, but closed his mouth after a moment. “Are we all going to go as a group?” he asked tentatively.

Bad sighed. “I can’t, I’m backstage all night counting votes for Prom King and Queen.”   


After a short conversation, the entire group agreed to meet at the venue come that night.

“Are you going to go?” Sapnap asked Dream again as Bad rushed off to man the  ticket stand in the corner of the cafeteria again.

Dream sighed. “Fine,” he relented, and got up to walk towards the ticket stand Bad was now buzzing around.

But before he made it to the table, George and Poki walked in front of him, smiling and laughing as they came to a stop behind the last person in the line. 

“We should go dress shopping next week,” the shorter girl exclaimed excitedly.

“Ooh, at the new store in the mall?”   


“That one!”   


So, Dream walked away that day with a slightly overpriced prom ticket and a stomach full of excited butterflies.


	8. got two tickets

Dream opened the bottle of cologne he’d not touched since that fateful night he’d caught George kissing Michael, sniffing at it warily just as he’d done so many months ago before gingerly rubbing a few drops on his wrists.

He smoothed his sleek, all-black suit in the mirror, tugging gently at the beaded black earrings hanging from his pierced ears before deciding that he was ready.

“Look at you, all grown up,” his mother had smiled fondly, reaching up to put a  hand on each of his shoulders for a moment before grabbing a small camera. “Smile!”   


A ‘beep’ and flash later, it was “be safe, now”, and then he was off, checking his watch as Sapnap’s pickup truck pulled into his driveway half past seven. The sun had barely begun to set, days growing longer and longer as the orange rays cast their golden dance across every surface they could.

“Dream!” Quackity grinned from the passenger seat as soon as Dream opened the door, Sapnap turning around to give his best friend a wave before turning back around to throw the car into park.

“ Hey, guys,” Dream greeted, looking around. “Is Bad already there?”   


“Yeah,” Sapnap responded. “He had to be there an hour earlier to set everything  up.”

“Damn,” Dream cringed, scooting into the space in the backseat and shutting the door behind him. “How long is it to the place?”

His best friend glanced at the dashboard clock. “If we’re lucky, we’ll make it in time,” he replied.

Dream watched as Sapnap drove through the neighborhood, palm trees and  quaint houses flying past them, wind rushing through his ears between the cracked windows of the car. Paramore’s latest album played softly from the car radio, filling the space with a quiet ambience.

“This is nice,” Quackity spoke Dream’s thoughts. 

A chorus of agreeing hums went around before everyone lapsed back into silence.

Half an hour later, Sapnap pulled smoothly into a free parking space at a crowded outdoor venue. Loud pop rock blared in the background, and Dream could see various cobbled paths leading around to places he didn’t know yet, but assumed would be some sort of park. Tiki torches burned on either side of each winding path, and rounded tables sat a bit away from the large dance floor, food obviously having not been served yet.

“This place is…”   


“Damn, that’s why Bad was working so hard, huh?” Sapnap mused, all three of them getting out of the car and looking around.

Dream agreed silently. “What now?”   


Sapnap looked towards a group of people, of which Dream recognized Karl and  Skeppy. “I’m going to go talk to them,” his best friend decided. “Meet back here at the end of the night?”   


“Yeah,” Quackity nodded. “I think Valkyrae wanted to talk to me, so…”   


Dream smirked. “Only a talk?”   


“Shut up,” his black-haired friend groaned playfully, splitting off and disappearing in the crowd.

Dream was alone. So, he decided to start walking through the paths that he’d seen when they’d arrived. 

The first path he took led him to a clearing with a bubbling fountain and a stone  bench, where Dream sat down to think for a bit.

He thought about the swans again. Maybe it was time for him to accept the fact  that he needed to move on from George, however broken-hearted it would leave him. What was it like for a swan to feel alone, watching the gentle waves of the lake, waiting for a lover that would never come? Did swans feel like humans did, so wholly raw, like the way Dream felt? Or could swans understand heartbreak in a way that man could never?   


A few minutes later, he set his thoughts aside and returned to the party, retracing his route down the stone path he’d taken to get to the bench, music growing louder and louder with every step he took.

It was hard to ignore the flush that rose onto his cheeks as he turned the corner and immediately spotted Pokimane and George laughing together, though.

George made Dream’s heart nearly beat out of its bony cage, flowered white dress falling neatly above his knees as he giggled at the joke that a red-dress-clad Pokimane had presumably just cracked.

“And then she said that she didn’t mean for it to happen!” Poki exclaimed, erupting into another wave of laughter with George.

And then George looked up.

Brown met green.

Dream froze. It was only a coincidence that George was wearing a dress as white as a swan’s feathers tonight.

“Well, go!” Poki nudged George towards Dream, turning to Hafu and beginning to talk to her instead.

“Um,” George coughed, approaching Dream slowly and looking down at his shoes. “Hi,” he eventually managed to say.

“Hello,” Dream responded tentatively. “Uh, how’s your night-”   


“I like you!” George blurted, finally looking up at Dream, blushing deeply. “I like you a lot, and I want to go see All Time Low with you!”   


Dream closed his mouth, words of small talk dying on his tongue as he realized that everything he’d wanted was coming to fruition. “You- you do?” he breathed, never breaking the eye contact in fear that if he did, the moment would shatter, be false, he’d wake up in a haze of disappointment.

“Yes,” George whispered back. “I bought the tickets a week ago, but it’s okay if  you don’t want to come,” he looked down.

Dream smiled from ear to ear. “‘Dear Maria’ is such a good song, you know,” he  murmured, reaching out and tucking a lock of brown hair behind George’s ear.

The brunette looked up, a hopeful grin dancing across his face. “Really?”   


Dream took George’s hand. “Of course,” he responded easily. “I like you too,  remember?”

“I- yeah, I guess,” George giggled. “Are you taking me somewhere?”   


“Yes.”   


Ten minutes later, they sat upon the bench Dream had found on his first walk that night, George’s head resting on his shoulders as they watched the fountain gurgle in front of them. It was peaceful, Dream knew.

“Dream,” George shifted his weight to wrap an arm around the blond’s neck.

“What is it?” Dream looked down fondly.

“Can you kiss me?”   


The world melted away from them as Dream gently cupped George’s face in his  hands as he closed his eyes and allowed their lips to meet, feeling the shorter boy relax and smile against his lips. Dream deepened the kiss after a few seconds, grazing his tongue gently over George’s bottom lip as the brunette let out a quiet moan of pleasure.

“This feels right,” George said as they broke apart for air, his cheeks dusted with pink and Dream’s pupils visibly blown.

“It’s always been right.”

\------

Later that night, after everyone had gone home, Dream and George held each other in Dream’s bed, the brunette coming over not even an hour after prom had ended.

“I should’ve told you sooner,” George murmured, lacing his fingers between the strings of Dream’s hoodie.

“What do you mean?”    


“I- I knew I liked you the night you took me here,” he replied quietly, a note of  wistful nostalgia to his voice. “I just knew I’d hurt you, though. Because I wasn’t ready to be with you.”   


Dream frowned and pulled George on top of his chest gently, looking into the brown eyes illuminated by only the distant sparkle of moonlight coming through his window. “Baby,” he soothed. 

“I would wait a thousand years if you needed the time to heal.”   


George smiled and buried his face into Dream’s chest. “Stop,” his voice came out high-pitched and muffled.

“Never,” Dream smirked, and pulled the smaller boy closer as he attached their lips.

George was already waiting for him outside his house two weeks later, the tickets to the All Time Low concert clutched in his hand as he waved at Dream with the other.

The blond stopped in the brown-eyed boy’s driveway, cutting the ignition and walking up to George. “Hey,” he greeted, wrapping his arms around the shorter boy’s waist and pulling him close as he pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“Hi,” George squeaked, looking over his shoulder as his mother came out of the house. 

“Now, you have him home by midnight, or else!” George’s mother reprimanded  playfully, shaking her finger at him.

“Don’t worry, ma’am, I will,” Dream assured sincerely, taking the helmet from his bike’s handlebars and gently pulling it over George’s brown tufts.

“Good,” she smiled, eyes crinkling in a familiar way as she looked at the scene in front of her. “George, call me if you need anything, alright?”   


“Okay, mum.”   


“Have fun, boys.”   


Twenty minutes later, the infatuated pair were standing at the very front of the pit, leaning against the gate as George looked around excitedly.  “They’ve been one of my favorites since middle school,” he smiled, never letting go of Dream’s hand as he chattered.

Soon enough, the lights had dimmed and the band shuffled onstage, guitars strumming as they tuned their instruments quickly.

“ _ I got your picture, I’m coming with you… _ ” floated through their ears as Dream  pulled George in with one arm and kissed him gently.

Dream was just a teenage dirtbag. Sometimes he was lonely and he thought about swans too much. But he was happy as he held George close to him that night.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's the end! thank you so much for reading! -j.


End file.
